UK Vanity License Plate Gets Record Reserve Auction Price Of $14K

One of the many ways British males compensate for lack of sexual prowess is by purchasing extraordinarily overpriced license plates. This "1 0" plate's expected to set a record, with an auction reserve of £10,000.

Scientists researching the matter hypothesize that the urge to acquire personalized number plates is a mating behavior equivalent to that of the male peacock's display of tail feathers. The larger and brighter the feathers, the more appealing the male peacock is to females.

Since the average British male lacks both feathers and the typical external signs of human male virility: height, a full head of hair, a single chin and a winning smile, he's forced to compete for mates with gratuitous displays of bad taste and a fat credit card.

English numberplates differ from their American cousins, Vanity Plates (which can be commonly spotted adorning the walls of theme restaurants) in that they're sold at auction for huge prices rather than licenses at a token rate on a first-come basis.

Rare personalized numberplates are demarcated by their number of figures and the ability of those figures to spell out something clever. In addition to displaying wealth, they disguise the age of the vehicle they're attached to (standard issue British numberplates contain the model year), a further boon to attracting gold digging slappers. So, for example, a plate reading "8110X" or "80085" would be quite valuable in contemporary British society.

The "1 0" plate is exceptional both for its use of only two digits and for the symbolic importance of the number "10" which could signify a perfect automobile, a perfect driver or both. As such, the plate, which will be auctioned on Friday, will be given the highest ever reserve: 10,000 of Her Majesty's Pounds or $14,221 in freedom credits. It's expected to achieve a far greater price, maybe even challenging the current $500,000 record. [DVLA via Press Association]